The Lake Winnebago System has an abundance of popular fish to catch, such as Bluegill, Walleye, and Bass. The spring fishing season on this system is looked forward to by both local and visiting anglers who know just how good the fishing can be. The information in this article will teach you about fish movements throughout the spring and the fishing techniques that work best for me on the Lake Winnebago System.
A local favorite, Bluegill, are known for fighting hard despite being a smaller variety of fish. They’re also known for being one of the most delicious fish out there! These fun and tasty fish are one I get hundreds, maybe even thousands of questions about every spring. The two most important things to cover about this topic are bait presentation and location.
For catching bluegills, the biggest things I’ve found to make a difference are bait choice, rod style, and line size. For bait, I like to use VMC bullfly or fly jigs, in 1/32oz on windy days, and 1/64oz on calm days. In early spring, bluegills prefer a bait that is sitting in one spot, so heavier weight helps it stay put on windy days. While most folks use 5-foot ultralight rods for panfish, I prefer a 7’ medium-light rod, with 10lb braided line as my mainline. I use the longer rod for quicker line pickup off the water when a bobber drops. Plus, with braided mainline, the lack of stretch in the line allows you to set the hook on fish much quicker than you would with monofilament line, which stretches when you pull on it. For leader line size, I stick with 2-3 lb fluorocarbon. Thin line like this makes it incredibly difficult for fish to detect, which prevents fish from being spooked by seeing the line attached to your hook.
As far as location goes, the shallow bays and channel systems are where I do best. You can’t just cast anywhere in these areas and catch tons of fish though. The fish first typically relate to dock posts and riprap shorelines as they heat up from the sun, then later in the season, patches of weeds hold fish as the weeds begin to grow back. The weeds hold tiny insects that the Bluegills love to feed on, so I often find large schools of fish in these areas. When it’s early in the season and only a few patches of weeds have come up, you’re likely to find a pile of fish on the few weeds that are present.
One thing I can count on every spring is Walleyes moving up the Wolf River to spawn, with many of them moving down through the Fox River in Oshkosh afterward on their way out to Winnebago for the summer. Most Walleyes in this system spawn in the marshes in the northern end of the Wolf River, but it’ll take them some time to make it through the winding stretches of river to get there. On their way up, you can catch Walleyes that are looking to eat a lot as they prepare to spawn. I target these fish by vertically jigging jigs and minnows or by casting hair jigs with stinger hooks, which ensure you hook the fish even if it bites the tail end of the hair jig (This is common early in the season when the water is just barely above freezing temps).
After the Walleyes spawn in the marshes, they head back down the Wolf and many will make the journey all the way back to Lake Winnebago. These post-spawn fish are hungry after making the long journey, so this is a great time to catch them. I do best with these fish by casting Reef Runner Flash Shads to attract the most aggressive fish, and switch to a hair jig if they want something slower. I use these both in vertical jigging the river channel and in casting at the river shorelines and bridge pilings. My favorite hair jigs are the 1/4oz to 3/8oz Kalin’s bucktail jigs.
When the spawn is over, I catch a lot of my spring Walleye on the shallow rocks of Winnebago. This includes the tops of reefs, rocky shorelines, and the top of rocky points in the lake. The Walleyes will often hang around wind-blown shorelines as small baitfish, leeches, and crayfish will get pushed into these areas by the waves. My most effective technique for these fish involves casting 1/4oz hair jigs and twitching them along the bottom to imitate small baitfish. Trout perch are one of the most common baitfish in the Winnebago system, and the 1/4oz Kalin’s hair jigs match the size profile of these baitfish perfectly. For a detailed explanation of how I catch walleyes with these jigs, check out this video.
Whether it’s your first day of fishing or you’ve fished for years, it’s hard to argue with the notion that Bass are fun to catch. They fight great, and they’re fairly simple to fish for. To target them, you first have to decide if you want to catch Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass. Largemouth on these lakes will often hang out in shallow weeds in channels and bays, while Smallmouth can be found along shallow rocky shorelines and points on the main lake. Casting and slowly dragging Kalin’s ned rigs along the bottom works great for both species in fairly clear water, with a dark-colored ned rig being an effective imitator of crayfish that Bass feed on. This bait can be used in both deep and shallow water, and this flexibility is why I recommend it.
If you haven’t yet tried fishing in the springtime on the Winnebago System, you’re missing out. Whatever species you want to catch, you have a great opportunity for it on this healthy fishery. To keep it that way, be mindful of the WI DNR rules and regulations and consider practicing catch and release on some of the chunky pre-spawn fish to ensure more plentiful fish populations for the future. If you’re in need of live bait or lures for your trip, stop in at Fish Tales in Oshkosh for bait and more fishing info. When you’re all done fishing for the day, stop in at Becket’s Restaurant in Oshkosh to fuel up for your next adventure.
Good Luck Fishing!
